KARACHI, Jan 22: City Nazim Naimatullah Khan on Tuesday launched the three-day anti-polio campaign by administering polio drops to children at the City Government’s Secretariat.

Speaking on the occasion, the Nazim said the City Government would extend cooperation to UNICEF for elimination of polio.

He said the awareness which has generated among the people, shows that this dreaded disease would ultimately be wiped out and our children would get rid of it.

“The elimination of polio from Karachi will mean its elimination from Pakistan”, the Nazim said, adding the officers of the City Government, Town Nazims and other elected representatives would extend full cooperation.

EDO Health Dr Ali Nawaz Shaikh said it was the fourth campaign since the City Government came into being. During the campaign, some 2.7 million children would be administered polio drops.

In this regard, he informed, 5000 teams of 15,000 workers have been set up which would go house-to-house to administer polio drops.

He said in Karachi only seven polio cases were detected this year and this disease had been restricted to Gadap Town only from where too it would be wiped out.

UNICEF representative Asif Aslam said two more drives would be carried out in the next three months and this disease would soon be no more in Pakistan.

Dr Raza of federal health Ministry said polio would be eliminated from Pakistan during 2002. He asked the elected representatives to ensure that no child is left without polio drops in their respective areas.

Meanwhile, Sindh minister for health Maj-Gen Ehsan Ahmed launched the province-wide anti-polio drive by administering drops to children at Afghan refugee camps in Gadap Town of Karachi.

The minister also knocked at the houses of several Afghan families and inquired whether the health workers had ever visited them and administered polio vaccine to their children.

The minister was accompanied by Shamsunisa Ansari, Project Director of EPI Sindh, Dr Khalil Ansari, Medical Officer of Gadap Town and other officials.

The minister directed the EPI officials to improve the system of micro-planning.

He was informed that two fixed EPI centres had been set up at Afghan refugee camps and 2,500 children of up to five years of age were being administered polio vaccine whereas the total population of the camp was 625,000.

The minister also visited another Afghan settlement situated along Superhighway and inquired about the administration of polio drops.—APP